Fire Station Blaze Embarrasses Firefighters

Firefighters in Waipahu, Hawaii responded to an traffic accident, but were called back to the station -because it was on fire! Fire Capt. Terry Seelig said the firefighters were "chagrined".
"The fire's cause was attributed to unattended cooking," Seelig said. "We, like everybody else, need to be careful and attentive when cooking."

The fire caused approximately $25,000 in damage to the Waipahu fire station, mostly from smoke and heat in the kitchen, Seelig said.

The fire station kitchen, which was scheduled for a remodel, has been repaired.

Cows with Fewer Burps

Methane produced from a cow's four stomachs contributes to the amount of greenhouse gasses released. Scientists in Canada are battling this trend by breeding environmentally-friendly cows that produce 25% less methane in their burps. The research is focusing on a gene that controls digestion in cattle. In addition, research shows that using a higher-quality feed which doesn't ferment as long in the stomachs and growing cattle to market size faster will further reduce greenhouse gasses.

Monkey Urinates on Zambian President

Zambian president Rupiah Banda was speaking to journalists at a news conference Wednesday at his home when one of the many monkeys who consider the presidential grounds home relieved himself on the president from a tree overhead.

Banda softly shouted: "You (monkey) have urinated on my jacket," and paused as he looked up to see the animal playing in a tree just above his chair.

"Perhaps these are blessings," he said continuing his address amid laughter from the audience of journalists and diplomats at the State House presidential offices.

Belgian Woman Regrets Tattooed Stars

Kimberley Vlaminck came home with 56 stars tattooed on her face. The reaction she got from her family make her think twice after the fact, so she announced she was suing the tattoo artist. The 18-year-old Belgian woman said she had asked for only three small stars, but fell asleep during the procedure. Vlaminck blamed the tattoo on language differences with the Romanian tattoo artist, Rouslan Toumaniantz. Toumaniantz denied the accusations, but offered to pay for half the cost of laser tattoo removal. After worldwide scrutiny, the teenager admitted that she had asked for the full 56 stars and had not fallen asleep. Toumaniantz has since withdrawn his settlement offer, and says he will require written consent for all future tattoos.

Death by Computer

A tragic story from Romania should remind everyone not to mix electricity and bathing. A 17-year-old girl had her laptop in the bathtub at her home in Brasov. Flavia Maria Boricea had been bathing and surfing for quite some time, and plugged the computer into the wall outlet after the battery ran out. Her hands were wet, and she was electrocuted instantly. The only mark left was a burn on her hand.

Stoned Wallabies Make Crop Circles

Wallabies have been observed helping themselves to legally-grown opium poppies on the island of Tasmania. Tasmanian attorney general Lara Giddings presented a security report and said wallabies were getting high on the poppies and wandering around in circles, leaving visible circles in the crops. An industry spokesman said that sheep in the poppy fields are more common, but they exhibit the same behavior -walking around in circles after ingesting the poppy seeds. Sheep are more likely to return to their paddocks and walk in circles.

Jeff Goldblum is Not Dead

Amidst the news of the deaths of Michael Jackson and Farah Fawcett, a site that generates spoof stories produced an item that said actor Jeff Goldblum had fallen off a cliff and died in New Zealand while filming a movie. The story became an internet rumor which became breaking news for some Australian news outlets. Channel Nine went as far as broadcasting a video retrospective of Goldblum's work. For the record, Goldblum is alive and well.